Methods and Apparatus to Account for Effective Downlink Channels Arising from Beamforming Uplink Reference Signals

ABSTRACT

According to the teachings herein, a wireless device enhances uplink channel estimation at a node in a supporting wireless communication network by beamforming its uplink reference signal transmission towards the node, and correspondingly compensates for the effect of that beamforming when receiving a downlink transmission that was adapted in dependence on the uplink channel transmission. Such processing provides significant advantages in Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output, MIMO, systems that use a potentially large number of antennas for downlink MIMO transmissions and assume reciprocity between the uplink and downlink channels. In particular, uplink beamforming increases the received signal quality of the uplink reference signal used for estimating the uplink channel, while “automatic” compensation by the wireless device of the corresponding downlink transmission obviates the need for the network to know which precoder was used for uplink beamforming, or even that uplink beamforming is in use.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/890,550, filed Nov. 11, 2015, which is a U.S. National PhaseApplication of PCT/SE2015/051047, filed Oct. 5, 2015. The entirecontents of each of the aforementioned applications are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to wireless communication networks, andparticularly relates to accounting for the effect of beamforming uplinkreference signals.

BACKGROUND

Ongoing technology and standardization developments make the use oflarge antenna arrays at cellular base stations and other wireless accesspoints a viable option to boost the air interface capacities and maximumdata rates of wireless communication networks. Consider a base stationor an access point equipped with a large number of antennas. The nodecan simultaneously schedule multiple wireless devices in the sametime/frequency band, using simple linear processing such asmaximum-ratio transmission or zero-forcing in the downlink andmaximum-ratio combining or zero-forcing in the uplink. Currentliterature often refers to these multi-antenna arrangements as verylarge multiple-input-multiple-output, VL-MIMO, or as “massive” MIMO.VL-MIMO systems are also sometimes referred to as “full dimension” or FDsystems. FD-MIMO provides throughput gains without consuming additionalspectrum and further offers substantial improvements in radiated energyefficiency. Reflecting the burgeoning interest in FD-MIMO technology,the Third Generation Partnership Project, 3GPP, has an active work itemfocused on the use of FD-MIMO.

Narrow beam forming in the downlink represents a key aspect of FD-MIMO.Base stations use narrow beam forming to focus transmitted energytowards desired users—i.e., towards the wireless devices being served atany given time. Focusing the radiated energy boosts coverage and raisesthe maximum data rates achievable on the downlink under real-worldchannel conditions.

Accurate channel state information, CSI, is a requisite for effectivebeamforming and acquiring accurate CSI in a scalable fashion for FD-MIMOsystems is non-trivial. In conventional systems, radio network nodestransmit per-antenna pilot signals, and wireless devices estimatedownlink channel gain based on measurements of the pilot signals. Theseper-antenna approaches are not feasible for a base station that uses alarge number of downlink transmit antennas.

Where reciprocity exists between the uplink and downlink channels, suchas in Time Division Duplex, TDD, operation, a wireless device transmitsa Sounding Reference Signal, SRS, or other type of reference signal onthe uplink. The receiving network base station uses the receivedreference signal to estimate both the uplink and downlink channelsbetween it and the wireless device. For the channel estimation to be ofsufficiently high quality, the base station must receive the uplinkreference signal(s) with a sufficiently high Signal-to-Noise Ratio orSNR. This requirement poses challenges for the typical wireless device,which generally is battery operated or otherwise power-limited. Becausethe uplink should be sounded over the entire frequency band of interest,potentially significant energy radiation by the wireless device isrequired to achieve sufficient signal quality at the base station.Operation by a wireless device within a cell edge region exacerbates theproblem of providing the network base station with reference signals ofsufficiently high reception quality.

Beamforming represents one trick available to multi-antenna wirelessdevices for ensuring that the network base station receives its uplinkreference signals at a sufficient received-signal strength. With uplinkbeamforming, more of the radiated signal energy is steered towards thenetwork base station, thereby improved received signal quality at thenetwork base station for the uplink reference signal.

However, this disclosure recognizes that several disadvantages orproblems attend the use of beamforming for uplink reference signaltransmission. For example, the network base station uses the receivedreference signal to estimate the downlink channel to the wirelessdevice, e.g., for link adaptation of its downlink transmissions to thewireless device. Taking the exact same propagation channel conditions,the uplink channel as perceived by the network base station will lookdifferent in depending on whether or not the wireless device usesbeamforming for its uplink reference signal transmission. Further,beamforming characteristics depend on antenna weights used by thewireless device for beamforming. Consequently, the perceived or“effective” channel seen by the network base station depends on theparticular precoder—antenna weight matrix—used by the wireless device.

Providing information to the network base station regarding uplinkbeamforming solves these problems. However, that approach requiresadditional uplink signaling from the wireless device and, therefore,represents an added signaling burden.

SUMMARY

According to the teachings herein, a wireless device enhances uplinkchannel estimation at a node in a supporting wireless communicationnetwork by beamforming its uplink reference signal transmission towardsthe node, and correspondingly compensates for the effect of thatbeamforming when receiving a downlink transmission that was adapted independence on the uplink channel transmission. Such processing providessignificant advantages in Multiple-Input-Multiple-Output, MIMO, systemsthat use a potentially large number of antennas for downlink MIMOtransmissions and assume reciprocity between the uplink and downlinkchannels. In particular, uplink beamforming increases the receivedsignal quality of the uplink reference signal used for estimating theuplink channel, while “automatic” compensation by the wireless device ofthe corresponding downlink transmission obviates the need for thenetwork to know which precoder was used for uplink beamforming, or eventhat uplink beamforming is in use.

One embodiment comprises a method at a wireless device configured foroperation in a wireless communication network. The example methodincludes transmitting a reference signal to the wireless communicationnetwork using uplink beamforming. The method includes correspondinglyreceiving a downlink transmission from the wireless communicationnetwork that was beamformed in dependence on an effective channelarising from the use of uplink beamforming on the reference signal.Still further, the method includes accounting for the effective channelby applying a linear transform to the received downlink transmission toobtain a compensated received transmission, wherein the linear transformis based on a precoder matrix used for the uplink beamforming.

Another embodiment comprises a wireless device configured for operationin a wireless communication network. The example device includes acommunication interface configured to transmit signals to the wirelesscommunication network and to receive signals from the wirelesscommunication network. Further, the device includes processing circuitrythat is operatively associated with the communication interface andconfigured to receive a beamformed downlink transmission from thewireless communication network. Here, the network beamformed thedownlink transmission in dependence on an effective channel arising fromthe use of uplink beamforming on a reference signal transmitted by thedevice. The processing circuitry is configured to account for theeffective channel by applying a linear transform to the receiveddownlink transmission, to obtain a compensated received transmission.The linear transform is based on a precoder matrix used for the uplinkbeamforming.

Another embodiment comprises a non-transitory computer-readable mediumstoring a computer program comprising program instructions. Whenexecuted by a processor of a wireless device that receives a downlinktransmission that is beamformed by a network node in a wirelesscommunication network according to a channel estimate determined from areference signal transmitted by the device, the program instructionsconfigure the device to obtain a compensated received transmission. Thecompensated received transmission is obtained by the device linearlytransforming the received downlink transmission according to a precodermatrix used by the device for beamforming the reference signal.

In yet another embodiment, a wireless device includes a communicationmodule configured to receive a downlink transmission that is beamformedby a network node in a wireless communication network according to achannel estimate determined from a reference signal transmitted by thedevice. The device further includes a compensation module that isconfigured to obtain a compensated received transmission by linearlytransforming the received downlink transmission according to a precodermatrix used by the wireless device for beamforming the reference signal.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the above featuresand advantages. Indeed, those skilled in the art will recognizeadditional features and advantages upon reading the following detaileddescription, and upon viewing the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a network node and awireless device.

FIG. 2 is a logic flow diagram of one embodiment of a method ofprocessing at a wireless device.

FIG. 3 is a logic flow diagram of another embodiment of a method ofprocessing at a wireless device.

FIG. 4 is a logic flow diagram of yet another embodiment of a method ofprocessing at a wireless device.

FIG. 5 is block diagram of one embodiment of a wireless communicationnetwork.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network node 10 and an example wirelessdevice 12. While not shown in FIG. 1, it shall be understood that thenetwork node 10 forms part of a wireless communication network—the“network”—and the wireless device 12 is configured for operation in thenetwork. The network comprises, for example, a Third GenerationPartnership Project, 3GPP, cellular communication network such as a LongTerm Evolution, LTE, network. Correspondingly, the network node 10 maybe a cellular radio base station, such as an LTE eNB, and the wirelessdevice 12 comprises a User Equipment or UE in 3GPP parlance. Nolimitations should be inferred by this example, however, and thewireless device 12 may comprise essentially any type of wirelesscommunication apparatus, including a mobile communication device, acomputer or other device with wireless networking capabilities, aMachine-Type Communication, MTC, device, etc.

The wireless device 12 includes two or more antennas 14 for transmittingand/or receiving signals, and the network node 10 also may includemultiple antennas or antenna elements 16. Uplink beam forming used atleast selectively by the wireless device 12 enables the wireless device12 to improve received signal strength at the network node 10, withrespect to uplink transmissions by the wireless device 12. Because thesebeamformed transmissions on the uplink include reference signals usedfor downlink channel adaptation by the network node 10, the effectivechannel on the downlink between the network node 10 and the wirelessdevice 12 thus reflects the effects of the uplink beamforming.Advantageously, the wireless device 12 compensates for those effects inits received signal processing.

To better appreciate an example implementation of such compensation, thewireless device 12 includes a communication interface 20 that includesone or more radiofrequency receivers 22 and transmitters 24 andassociated protocol processing circuitry that are adapted to support theuplink and downlink air interfaces implemented within the wirelesscommunication network—not shown—in which the network node 10 operates.Processing circuitry 26 is operatively associated with the communicationinterface 20 and comprises fixed circuitry, programmed circuitry, or acombination of fixed and programmed circuitry.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 26 is at least partlyimplemented using programmed circuitry and comprises, for example, oneor more processor circuits, such as one or more microprocessors, DigitalSignal Processors or DSPs, Application Specific Integrated Circuits orASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays or FPGAs, or other digitalprocessing circuitry. Correspondingly, the processing circuitry 26includes or is associated with one or more types of computer-readablemedia—“STORAGE 28” in the figure—such as one or more types of memorycircuits such as FLASH, EEPROM, SRAM, DRAM, etc. Additionally, oralternatively, the storage 28 comprises hard disk storage, Solid StateDisk, SSD, storage, etc.

In general, the storage 28 provides both working memory and longer-termstorage. In at least one embodiment, the storage 28 providesnon-transitory storage for a computer program 30 and one or more itemsof configuration data 32. Here, non-transitory does not necessarily meanpermanent or unchanging storage but does means storage of at least somepersistence—i.e., holding information for subsequent retrieval. Thecomputer program 30, which may comprise a number of related orsupporting programs, comprises program instructions that, when executedby the processing circuitry 26, configure the wireless device 12 tooperate according to the examples described herein.

In other words, in some embodiments, one or more processing circuitswithin the wireless device 12 are specially adapted to carry out theteachings herein, based on their execution of the computer programinstructions comprising the computer program 30. Such executionconfigures the processing circuitry 26 to include, for example, acommunication module 40 configured to receive a downlink signal that isbeamformed by a network node 10 in a wireless communication networkaccording to a channel estimate determined from a reference signaltransmitted by the wireless device 12 and a compensation module 42configured to obtain a compensated received signal by linearlytransforming the received downlink signal according to a precoder matrixused by the wireless device 12 for beamforming the reference signal. Inat least one such embodiment, the processing circuitry 26 implements ademodulation module 44 that is configured to demodulate the compensatedreceived signal, for information recovery at the wireless device 12.

More broadly, the wireless device 12 in one or more embodiments isconfigured for operation in a wireless communication network—notshown—and the aforementioned communication interface 20 is configured totransmit signals to the wireless communication network and to receivesignals from the wireless communication network. Correspondingly, theprocessing circuitry 26 is operatively associated with the communicationinterface 20 and configured to receive a beamformed downlinktransmission from the network that was beamformed in dependence on aneffective channel arising from the use of uplink beamforming on areference signal transmitted by the wireless device 12, and account forthe effective channel by applying a linear transform to the receiveddownlink transmission, to obtain a compensated received transmission,wherein the linear transform is based on a precoder matrix used for theuplink beamforming.

The processing circuitry 26 uses the compensated received transmissionfor information recovery, for example, based on being configured todemodulate the compensated received downlink transmission, forrecovering information conveyed in the received downlink transmission.Here, rather than performing demodulation processing on the receiveddownlink transmission—held as signal samples in buffer memory in theprocessing circuitry 26—the processing circuitry 26 performsdemodulation processing on compensated signal samples resulting fromapplication of the linear transform to the signal samples comprising thereceived downlink transmission.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 26 is configured tolinearly transform the received downlink transmission, i.e., thereceived downlink signal in question, by applying a transpose of theprecoder matrix to the received downlink transmission. Note, however,that in at least some embodiments, the wireless device 12 does notnecessarily apply uplink beamforming when transmitting referencesignals. In cases where the received downlink transmission correspondsto an uplink reference signal that was transmitted by the wirelessdevice 12 without the use of beamforming, the wireless device 12 skipsthe compensation processing—i.e., skips the linear transformation of thereceived downlink transmission—and applies its demodulation processingto the received downlink transmission.

In at least one such embodiment, the processing circuitry 26 isconfigured to decide to use uplink beamforming for transmitting thereference signal, in dependence on at least one of: a location of thewireless device 12 with respect to the network node 10, channelconditions observed at the wireless device 12 with respect to thenetwork node 10, configuration information stored at the wireless device12, and control signaling received from the wireless communicationnetwork. In one example of location dependency, the wireless device 12uses uplink beamforming for its reference signal transmissions whenoperating in cell edge areas. In one example of channel conditionsdependency, the wireless device 12 uses uplink beamforming for itsreference signal transmissions when downlink signals from the networknode 10 are received below a threshold signal strength or quality. Inone example of network signaling dependency, the network node 10 sendsan Information Element, IE, flag, or other indicator, implicit orexplicit, that enables or disables reference-signal beamforming at thewireless device 12.

Similarly, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry 26 in one ormore embodiments is configured to select the precoder matrix to use foruplink beamforming of the reference signal according to controlsignaling received from the wireless communication network.Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless device 12 selects theprecoder based on channel estimate information determined by thewireless device 12 with respect to the network node 10. In at least onesuch embodiment, the wireless device 12 autonomously selects theprecoder and uses it, unless or until the network signals an overridingprecoder selection.

In at least some embodiments, the processing circuitry 26 is configuredto maintain linking information in the wireless device 12 that logicallylinks the received downlink transmission to the reference signal andindicates whether or not uplink beamforming was used for transmission ofthe reference signal. In such embodiments, the processing circuitry 26is further configured to account for the effective channel by applyingthe linear transform to the received downlink transmission in dependenceon determining that the linking information indicates that uplinkbeamforming was used for transmission of the reference signal. In anexample case, a predefined relationship exists between uplink referencesignal transmissions by the wireless device 12 and correspondingdownlink transmissions by the network node 10 towards the wirelessdevice 12. For example, a scheduled downlink transmission corresponds toa particular uplink reference signal transmission if it occurs a definednumber of transmission time intervals—e.g., a defined number of radiosignal subframes—after transmission of the uplink reference signal.

For any given downlink transmission received at the wireless device 12,the processing circuitry 26 in one or more embodiments is configured todetermine whether the given downlink transmission corresponds to a priortransmission of a beamformed reference signal by the wireless device 12.If so, the processing circuitry 26 obtains a corresponding compensatedreceived downlink transmission from the given received downlinktransmission for demodulation, according to the precoder matrix used forthe beamformed uplink reference signal.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storesa computer program. The program comprises program instructions forexecution by a processor of a wireless device 12, e.g., the processingcircuitry 26. The wireless device 12 receives a downlink transmissionthat is beamformed by a network node 10 in a network according to achannel estimate determined from a reference signal transmitted by thewireless device 12. Correspondingly, the program instructions configurethe wireless device 12 to obtain a compensated received transmission bylinearly transforming the received downlink transmission according to aprecoder matrix used by the wireless device 12 for beamforming thereference signal. Demodulation processing performed by the wirelessdevice 12 in such embodiments may depend on further computer programinstructions that configure the wireless device 12 to demodulate thecompensated received transmission, for recovering information conveyedin the downlink transmission.

Whether or not it is implemented according to the example circuitry ofFIG. 1, a wireless device 12 as contemplated herein is configured foroperation in a wireless communication network and is adapted to transmita reference signal to the wireless communication network using uplinkbeamforming. Further, the wireless device 12 is adapted to receive adownlink transmission from the wireless communication network that wasbeamformed in dependence on an effective channel arising from the use ofuplink beamforming on the reference signal. Still further, the wirelessdevice 12 is adapted to account for the effective channel by applying alinear transform to the received downlink transmission, to therebyobtain a compensated received transmission. Here, the linear transformis based on a precoder matrix used for the uplink beamforming and thecompensated received transmission may be used, e.g., for demodulationand information recovery at the wireless device 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 performed by a wireless device 12, suchas the wireless device 12 illustrated in FIG. 1. The method 200 includestransmitting (Block 202) a reference signal to a wireless communicationnetwork using uplink beamforming, receiving (Block 204) a downlinktransmission from network that was beamformed in dependence on aneffective channel arising from the use of uplink beamforming on thereference signal, and accounting (Block 206) for the effective channelby applying a linear transform to the received downlink transmission toobtain a compensated received transmission, wherein the linear transformis based on a precoder matrix used by the wireless device 12 for theuplink beamforming. In the same or another embodiment, the method 200includes demodulating the compensated received transmission, to recoverthe information conveyed in the downlink transmission.

FIG. 3 illustrates another method 300, which may be regarded as oneexample of a more detailed implementation of the method 200. Here, thewireless device 12 receives (Block 302) the downlink transmission on twoor more of the receive antennas 14 of the wireless device 12—denotedhere as “antennas y”. Further, the reference signal transmitted on theuplink by the wireless device 12 is a Sounding Reference Signal or SRS,and the wireless device 12 device receives a downlink transmission fromthe network node 10 that is channel-adapted by the network node 10, independence on the SRS transmission by the wireless device 12.

The method 300 includes determining (Block 304) whether the SRS wasprecoded—i.e., whether the wireless device 12 transmitted the SRS withor without uplink beamforming. The determination involves, for example,the wireless device 12 maintaining linking information that logicallylinks the SRS to the received downlink transmission—e.g., based onknowing that the downlink transmission was received at a defined numberof subframes after transmission of the SRS.

If the SRS was precoded (YES from Block 304), processing continues withthe wireless device 12 setting a linear transform matrix equal to theprecoder—an antenna-weighting matrix—used for precoding the SRS (Block306). From there, processing continues with compensating the receiveddownlink transmission with the transpose of the precoder matrix. Suchprocessing is seen in Block 308 as,

z=A ^(T) y,

where y is a matrix of received signal samples received on two or moreof the antennas 14, A is the precoder matrix of antenna weights used forbeamforming the SRS from two or more of the antennas 14, A^(T) is thetranspose the precoder matrix, and z is the resulting matrix ofcompensated signal samples. Processing further continues withdemodulating (Block 310) the compensated received transmission z.

If the SRS was not precoded (NO from Block 304), processing continueswith the wireless device 12 setting the linear transform matrix A equalto the identity matrix I (Block 312), and then applying A^(T) to thereceived signal y (Block 308). Application of the identity matrixtranspose I^(T) does not change the received signal y, and is equivalentto skipping compensation and using the downlink transmission y directlyin the demodulation processing seen in Block 312. One advantage of usingthe identity matrix in cases where the SRS was not precoded issimplification of the program code used to carry out the overallprocessing—i.e., the wireless device 12 always applies A^(T) to thereceived signal y, and simply decides whether A^(T) is the identitymatrix or the transpose of an actual precoder matrix in dependence onwhether or not the SRS was precoded. Equivalently, in one or moreembodiments, the wireless device 12 advances on along the “NO”processing path from Block 304 directly to demodulation of the receiveddownlink transmission y, without calculating A^(T) as I^(T) and withoutforming z as I^(T)y.

Such an approach is encompassed in the method 400 illustrated in FIG. 4.The method 400 can also be understood as a more detailed example of themethod 200. The method 400 includes receiving a downlink transmission(Block 402) that is beamformed by a network node 10 according to achannel estimate determined from an uplink reference signal previouslytransmitted by the wireless device 12. At Block 404, the wireless device12 determines whether the uplink reference signal in question wasbeamformed. If so, the wireless device 12 obtains a compensated downlinktransmission (Block 406) and demodulates the compensated downlinktransmission (Block 408) to obtain the information conveyed in thedownlink transmission. If not, the wireless device 12 demodulates thereceived downlink transmission (Block 410), i.e., it skips thecompensation processing.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the wireless communication networkreferenced above, identified in the diagram as a wireless communicationnetwork 70. As a non-limiting example, the network 70 comprises acellular communication network based on the LTE specificationspromulgated by the 3GPP.

The network 70 includes a Radio Access Network, RAN, 72 and a CoreNetwork, CN, 74. The RAN 72 includes one or more radio base stations 76,e.g., 76-1 and 76-2, with each radio base station 76 providing servicein one or more cells 78. Here, the radio base station 76-1 providescellular communication services in a cell 78-1 and the radio basestation 76-2 provides cellular communication services in an adjacentcell 78-2. One or more wireless devices 12 operate within the wirelesscommunication network 70, e.g., 12-1, 12-2, etc. The CN 74 includes anumber of nodes supporting the communication services, including aMobility Management Entity, MME, 80, a Serving Gateway, SGW, 82, and oneor more other nodes 84. The CN 74 may, of course, include any number ofnodes not illustrated or discussed here, and it will be appreciated thatthe CN 74 is not germane to the focus of this disclosure.

One or more of the radio base stations 76 is configured to operate asthe aforementioned network node 10. A given one of the wireless devices12 receives a downlink transmission from a radio base station 76 isbeamformed in dependence on an effective channel arising from the use ofuplink beamforming on a reference signal transmitted by the wirelessdevice 12. Further, the wireless device 12 accounts for the effectivechannel by applying a linear transform to the received downlinktransmission to obtain a compensated received transmission. The lineartransform is based on a precoder matrix used for the uplink beamforming.

In at least one example of such operation, the wireless device 12beamforms the uplink reference signal using a precoder that maximizesthe average path gain to a serving base station 76. For example, thewireless device 12 receives Cell-specific Reference Signals, CRS, on thedownlink from the base station 76 and uses the CRS to estimate thedownlink channel between it and the base station 76. In turn, thewireless device 12 selects a particular precoder—e.g., from a definedcodebook, or based on calculations—based on the channel estimate. Forbase stations having potentially many antenna elements, the wirelessdevice 12 may be configured to beamform towards the “average” channel,or the wireless device 12 may be configured to try multiple precodersand receive feedback from the base station 76 as to which one it shoulduse. For example, the base station 76 determines which precoder yieldsthe highest signal strength or bestSignal-to-Interference-plus-Noise-Ratio, SINR.

The base station 76, operating as an example network node 10, also maycontrol whether or not the wireless device 12 uses uplink beamformingfor one or more reference signal transmissions. For example, an examplenetwork node 10 monitors channel conditions, e.g., based on trackingreceived signal strength and/or quality, with respect to a particularwireless device 12 and indicates to the wireless device 12 as to whetheror not it should beamform its uplink SRS transmissions. Not beamforminghas the advantage of saving processing power at the wireless device 12,hence, beamforming may be activated only in relatively poor conditionsor when the wireless device 12 is known to be at the cell edge.

To better appreciate an example implementation of the network node 10 insuch embodiments, refer back to FIG. 1. There, the network node 10includes one or more communication interfaces 50 that include one ormore radiofrequency receivers 52 and transmitters 54 and associatedprotocol processing circuitry that are adapted to support the uplink anddownlink air interfaces implemented within the wireless communicationnetwork 70 in which the network node 10 operates. Processing circuitry56 is operatively associated with the communication interface(s) 50 andcomprises fixed circuitry, programmed circuitry, or a combination offixed and programmed circuitry.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 56 is at least partlyimplemented using programmed circuitry and comprises, for example, oneor more processor circuits, such as one or more microprocessors, DigitalSignal Processors or DSPs, Application Specific Integrated Circuits orASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays or FPGAs, or other digitalprocessing circuitry. Correspondingly, the processing circuitry 56includes or is associated with one or more types of computer-readablemedia—“STORAGE 58” in the figure—such as one or more types of memorycircuits such as FLASH, EEPROM, SRAM, DRAM, etc. Additionally, oralternatively, the storage 58 comprises hard disk storage, Solid StateDisk, SSD, storage, etc.

In general, the storage 58 provides both working memory and longer-termstorage. In at least one embodiment, the storage 58 providesnon-transitory storage for a computer program 60 and one or more itemsof configuration data 62. Here, non-transitory does not necessarily meanpermanent or unchanging storage but does mean storage of at least somepersistence—i.e., holding information for subsequent retrieval. Thecomputer program 60, which may comprise a number of related orsupporting programs, comprises program instructions that, when executedby the processing circuitry 56, configure the network node 10 to operateaccording to the examples described herein. For example, the networknode 10 is configured to selectively control whether individual wirelessdevices 12 or groups of wireless devices 12 use uplink beamforming forSRS transmissions.

Consider the case where there are M antennas 16 available at a networknode 10 for making downlink transmissions towards a wireless device 12.Representing the number of antennas 14 available at the wireless device12 for receiving these downlink transmissions by n, the downlink channelbetween the network node 10 and the wireless device 12 can berepresented as a M×n complex matrix H, where each matrix element H_(i,j)denotes the downlink channel gain between the i-th transmit antenna 14and the j-th receive antenna 16.

Assuming reciprocity between the uplink and downlink channels, theuplink channel G equals H^(T). Pilot symbols, s_(device), transmitted bya wireless device 12 on the uplink as reference signals are thenreceived at a network node 10 as

y _(node) =H ^(T) s _(device) +e _(node),

where y_(node) denotes the received signal vector at the network node10, s_(device) denotes the vector of pilot symbols transmitted acrossthe involved antennas 16 at the wireless device 12, and e_(node) denotesadditive noise at the network node 10. If the uplink reference signals_(device) is beamformed by the wireless device 12 using a precoderW_(device) of antenna weights, then

y _(node) =H ^(T) W _(devices) s _(device) +e _(node).

The network node 10 estimates the downlink channel H based on y_(node),and uses that estimate to compute or select a downlink precoder W_(node)that comprises the antenna weights used for beamforming a downlinktransmission s_(node) from the network node 10 to the wireless device12. Here, the downlink data transmission s_(node) comprises, e.g., ascheduled data transmission being adapted based on the channel estimatedderived from y_(node). The beamformed signal is denoted as x_(node) andis received at the wireless device 12 as

y _(device) ={tilde over (H)}x _(node) +e _(device).

Here, {tilde over (H)} denotes the “effective” downlink channel arisingfrom the network node 10 basing its estimation of the downlink channelon receiving a beamformed reference signal from the wireless device 12.In other words, {tilde over (H)}≡W_(device) ^(T)H.

Advantageously, the wireless device 12 backs out or otherwisecompensates for the influence of W_(device) ^(T) on the received signalsamples comprising y_(device) by applying the linear transformationtaught herein. Consequently, the teachings herein provide for enhancedCSI acquisition at the network node 10, i.e., via beamforming of theuplink reference signal, and compensation of a corresponding downlinktransmission transmitted over the effective downlink channel arising asa consequence of the uplink beamforming. The wireless device 12 maystore or otherwise remember the precoder that it used for uplinkbeamforming a particular reference signal transmission, and may linkthat precoder to correspondingly received downlink transmission, suchthat that precoder is used to linearly transform the received downlinktransmission to remove the influence of the effective channel.

While such processing may be particularly advantageous in FD-MIMOsystems, it should be appreciated that the teachings herein areapplicable in any system that uses uplink reference signal transmissionsfor downlink channel estimation and corresponding adaptation of downlinkdata transmissions. Further, modifications and other embodiments of thedisclosed invention(s) will come to mind to one skilled in the arthaving the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoingdescriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that the invention(s) is/are not to be limited to thespecific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and otherembodiments are intended to be included within the scope of thisdisclosure. Although specific terms may be employed herein, they areused in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes oflimitation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method at a wireless device configured foroperation in a wireless communication network comprising: receiving adownlink transmission from a network node of the wireless communicationnetwork, the downlink transmission being beamformed by the network nodein dependence on channel estimates determined from reception of anuplink reference signal transmitted from the wireless device; andperforming compensation processing on the received downlinktransmission, in dependence on whether the uplink reference signal wastransmitted by the wireless device using uplink beamforming; saidcompensation processing compensating the received downlink transmissionfor the effects of the uplink beamforming on the channel estimatesdetermined by the network node.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein, for acase where the uplink reference signal was transmitted by the wirelessdevice using uplink beamforming, the method comprises obtaining acompensated received transmission by performing the compensationprocessing on the received downlink transmission, and demodulating thecompensated received transmission to recover information conveyed in thedownlink transmission, and further wherein, for a case where the uplinkreference signal was transmitted by the wireless device without usinguplink beamforming, the method comprises demodulating the receiveddownlink transmission to recover information conveyed in the downlinktransmission, without performing the compensation processing.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein performing the compensation processing on thereceived downlink transmission comprises linearly transforming thereceived downlink transmission, to account for the uplink beamforming.4. The method of claim 3, wherein linearly transforming the receiveddownlink transmission comprises applying a transpose of a precodermatrix to the received downlink transmission, the precoder matrix beingused by the wireless device for the uplink beamforming of the uplinkreference signal.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising decidingto use uplink beamforming for transmitting the uplink reference signalin dependence on at least one of: a location of the wireless device withrespect to the network node; channel conditions observed at the wirelessdevice with respect to the network node; configuration informationstored at the wireless device; and control signaling received from thewireless communication network.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein, for acase where the wireless device decided to use uplink beamforming fortransmission of the uplink reference signal, the method further includesthe wireless device selecting a precoder matrix to use for the uplinkbeamforming according to at least one of: control signaling receivedfrom the wireless communication network, and channel estimateinformation determined by the wireless device with respect to thenetwork node.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaininglinking information in the wireless device that logically links thereceived downlink transmission to the uplink reference signal andindicates whether or not uplink beamforming was used for transmission ofthe uplink reference signal, and performing the compensation processingin dependence on the linking information.
 8. The method of claim 1,further comprising, for any given downlink transmission received at thewireless device, determining whether the given downlink transmissioncorresponds to a prior transmission of a beamformed uplink referencesignal by the wireless device and, if so, obtaining a correspondingcompensated received transmission from the given received downlinktransmission for demodulation, according to a precoder matrix used forthe beamformed reference signal.
 9. A wireless device configured foroperation in a wireless communication network, the wireless devicecomprising: a communication interface comprising a radiofrequencytransmitter and receiver and configured for receiving a downlinktransmission from a network node of the wireless communication network,the downlink transmission being beamformed by the network node independence on channel estimates determined from reception of an uplinkreference signal transmitted from the wireless device; and processingcircuitry operatively associated with the communication interface andconfigured to: perform compensation processing on the received downlinktransmission, in dependence on whether the uplink reference signal wastransmitted by the wireless device using uplink beamforming; saidcompensation processing compensating the received downlink transmissionfor the effects of the uplink beamforming on the channel estimatesdetermined by the network node.
 10. The wireless device of claim 9,wherein, for a case where the uplink reference signal was transmitted bythe wireless device using uplink beamforming, the processing circuitryis configured to obtain a compensated received transmission byperforming the compensation processing on the received downlinktransmission, and demodulate the compensated received transmission torecover information conveyed in the downlink transmission, and furtherwherein, for a case where the uplink reference signal was transmitted bythe wireless device without using uplink beamforming, the processingcircuitry is configured to demodulate the received downlink transmissionto recover information conveyed in the downlink transmission, withoutperforming the compensation processing.
 11. The wireless device of claim9, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to perform thecompensation processing on the received downlink transmission bylinearly transforming the received downlink transmission, to account forthe uplink beamforming.
 12. The wireless device of claim 11, wherein theprocessing circuitry is configured to linearly transform the receiveddownlink transmission by applying a transpose of a precoder matrix tothe received downlink transmission, the precoder matrix being used bythe wireless device for the uplink beamforming of the uplink referencesignal.
 13. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein the processingcircuitry is configured to decide to use uplink beamforming fortransmitting the uplink reference signal in dependence on at least oneof: a location of the wireless device with respect to the network node;channel conditions observed at the wireless device with respect to thenetwork node; configuration information stored at the wireless device;and control signaling received from the wireless communication network.14. The wireless device of claim 9, wherein, for a case where thewireless device decided to use uplink beamforming for transmission ofthe uplink reference signal, the processing circuitry is configured toselect a precoder matrix to use for the uplink beamforming according toat least one of: control signaling received from the wirelesscommunication network, and channel estimate information determined bythe wireless device with respect to the network node.
 15. The wirelessdevice of claim 9, wherein the processing circuitry is configured tomaintain linking information in the wireless device that logically linksthe received downlink transmission to the uplink reference signal andindicates whether or not uplink beamforming was used for transmission ofthe uplink reference signal, and perform the compensation processing independence on the linking information.
 16. The wireless device of claim9, wherein, for any given downlink transmission received at the wirelessdevice, the processing circuitry is configured to determine whether thegiven downlink transmission corresponds to a prior transmission of abeamformed uplink reference signal by the wireless device and, if so,obtain a corresponding compensated received transmission from the givenreceived downlink transmission for demodulation, according to a precodermatrix used for the beamformed reference signal.
 17. A wireless deviceconfigured for operation in a wireless communication network, thewireless device comprising: a communication interface configured fortransmitting uplink signals for reception by a network node in thewireless communication network, and for receiving downlink signals fromthe network node; and processing circuitry operatively associated withthe communication interface and configured to: transmit an uplinkreference signal using uplink beamforming; receive a downlink signalfrom the network node, the downlink signal being beamformed by thenetwork node in dependence on channel estimates generated at the networknode from the uplink reference signal, the channel estimates beingaffected by the uplink beamforming; and compensate for the affectedchannel estimates at the network node by applying a lineartransformation to the received downlink signal, the lineartransformation being based on the uplink beamforming used fortransmission of the uplink reference signal.